Not All Tallow Is Created Equal
Tallow is a valuable byproduct of processing beef cattle, with a long history of use in soaps, balms, and skin care. Rather than going to waste, it can be carefully rendered and given an entirely new purpose.
But not all tallow is created equal. For us, quality begins with the cattle—how they’re raised and cared for, what they eat, and where they come from.
Carefully Selected Suet
We specifically select suet—the firm fat surrounding the kidneys—rather than the mixed beef fat often used in commercially produced tallow. From pasture-raised cattle, it can have a naturally golden hue. It renders into the clean, firm tallow we want for our handcrafted soaps and skin care.
Pasture Raised
The cattle we source from are locally and pasture raised—not animals coming through a large industrial supply chain. We care about how the cattle are raised and cared for, because the quality of our tallow starts with the animal.
Truly Local
Our tallow comes to us through our cousins at Stauffer’s Butcher Barn, just a mile down the road, where they process beef from local cattle farms.
Why Pasture Raised?
Grass-fed doesn’t always mean pasture-raised. These cattle are fed freshly harvested grass while housed indoors, rather than grazing in open pastures. While their diet may consist of grass, they don’t have the same opportunities to roam, forage naturally, and interact with their herd on open pasture. For us, how cattle live matters just as much as what they eat.
Photo: Farm Transparency Project, Calmo Farms, Victoria, Australia (2024). Creative Commons licensed.
What cattle eat influences the composition of their fat. Cattle raised on pasture consume naturally occurring compounds from green forage that can affect both the color and fatty-acid profile of their fat. That’s why the suet we select may have a naturally creamy, golden hue.
But for us, pasture-raised means more than what an animal eats. Cattle are grazing animals, naturally inclined to roam, forage and spend time together as a herd. Access to well-managed pasture allows them to graze freely, socialize with their herd and, quite simply, be cows.
NATURALLY GOLDEN
Carotenoids from green forage can give pasture-raised beef fat its creamy yellow-to-golden hue. The color can vary, but it’s one visible way an animal’s diet can influence its fat.
CLA
Pasture-based diets can result in higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in beef fat. It’s one of the naturally occurring fatty acids researchers have found can differ with cattle diet.
OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS
Grass-fed beef fat generally contains more omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed beef fat. The exact amount varies depending on diet, season, and other factors.
Why We Choose Suet
Tallow can be rendered from many different types of beef fat, but we specifically choose suet—the firm fat found around the kidneys. Suet produces a clean, firm tallow with qualities that make it especially well suited to the soaps, balms, and skin care products we make on our farm.
Our finished, rendered tallow, with its naturally golden hue—ready for our handcrafted soaps and skin care.
What Tallow Brings to Skin Care
Tallow has been used in skin care for generations, and its benefits go well beyond simple moisture. Naturally rich in fatty acids, tallow is an excellent emollient that helps soften and condition dry skin while creating a protective layer that helps reduce moisture loss. Its unique qualities also make it especially valuable in the soaps, balms, and skin care products we make on our farm.
Rich in Fatty Acids
Tallow naturally contains a blend of fatty acids, including oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids. These fatty acids give tallow its rich, emollient qualities and help soften and condition dry skin.
Helps Hold In Moisture
Tallow helps form a protective, emollient layer on the skin that slows moisture loss. This helps skin retain its natural moisture and leaves dry skin feeling softer, smoother, and more comfortable.
Softens & Conditions
Tallow’s rich lipid content helps smooth and soften dry, rough-feeling skin. Its emollient properties help fill the tiny spaces between surface skin cells, leaving skin feeling supple and conditioned.
Made with our Tallow
We carefully choose what goes into every product we make. Our locally sourced, pasture-raised tallow arrives fully rendered and ready for us to transform into small-batch soaps, balms, and skin care products made here on our farm.
Whipped Tallow
Rich, concentrated moisture made with pasture-raised beef tallow and nourishing botanical oils to soften and condition dry skin.
Tallow & Botanical Skin Therapy
Developed especially for hardworking hands, this fast-absorbing tallow lotion helps soften and condition dry, rough skin without leaving behind a greasy residue.
Tallow Soap
Handcrafted with pasture-raised beef tallow for an exceptionally creamy, conditioning lather and a hard, long-lasting bar that cleanses without leaving skin feeling stripped.
